Comedy Central, which is always funny, gets uncharacteristically serious with “The Heroes of Black Comedy.”
Sure, there are clips from Def Comedy Jam and the stand-up routines of Chris Rock and Richard Pryor, but mostly this five-part documentary series examines the cultural aspects of black comedy, from discrimination against early comedians to the crossover appeal of hip-hop.
Even minus the grins, it makes for fascinating television.
The stars profiled may be household names–Pryor, Rock, Whoopi Goldberg and The Original Kings of Comedy each have an individual segment–and they may have tickled funny bones of all races. And it may be true that, as several of those interviewed point out, funny is funny, and successful comedy crosses ethnic boundaries.
But the focus on African-American humorists nonetheless brings the subject of race to the fore, which is the point of the series.
The segment on Pryor in particular deals with the hurdles faced for decades by aspiring young black comics. A striking comparison is made between Pryor‘s generic ’60s material, when he was breaking into formerly all-white territory, and that of his post-Berkeley years, when he felt driven to aggressively promote the black experience.
Another striking contrast in the Pryor episode puts his fame and fortune in stark perspective. One minute some sycophant is explaining why Richard Pryor‘s a genius, and the next minute Pryor himself is musing about his depression, drug addiction, seven wives and deliberately setting himself on fire.
(Curiously, the otherwise thoughtful biography ends abruptly with a brief reference to Pryor‘s accidentally setting himself on fire in June of 1980; no explanation or follow-up to the incident is offered.)
In each segment, several comedians go before the camera to air their views on both individual comics and cultural trends. Chris Tucker, Sinbad, Jay Leno, Lily Tomlin, Ice-T, George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Bill Maher and Steve Harvey are just a few of those offering their insights on comedy in general, and comedy by black performers in particular.
Noticeably absent, however, from the series is consideration of such black masters as Redd Foxx, Bill Cosby, Flip Wilson and Eddie Murphy, which makes the program somewhat incomplete.
Nonetheless, as matter-of-factly narrated by Don Cheadle, “The Heroes of Black Comedy” offers enough insight into the real life people behind the happy clown facades of enough African-American comedians to make watching it a worthwhile journey.
The series includes three fairly traditional profiles on Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg and Richard Pryor and a pair of trend pieces that deal with the emerging style of The Original Kings of Comedy and the integration of Hip Hop Comedy into the mainstream. Goldberg‘s profile, which airs this Monday, Feb. 18, is the third in the series that culminates with the one-hour salute to Pryor on March 4.
All five episodes attempt to go beyond mere biography. “Heroes” uses the title word triumphantly: These are American icons, people who have not only made us laugh, but also used that laughter to effect change.
The series may deliver little in the way of laughs, but it offers a lot of food for thought.
